Walking in the Spirit

We are in a series called Life in the Spirit and this morning we’re going to be looking at the topic walking in the Spirit. Last week Matt gave an excellent message about being filled with the Spirit and I want to begin by pointing out that the different metaphors that are used to describe the Spirit’s work, walking in the Spirit, being filled with the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, sowing to the Spirit, living by the Spirit, aren’t describing different things as much as they are describing the same Spirit-filled life from different angles. So there’s going to be some overlap with Matt’s message and the message from the week before on holiness, but the metaphor walking in the Spirit gives us a fresh perspective from which to view our life in the Spirit.

So let’s turn together to Galatians chapter 5, and we’re going to begin reading in verse 13.

Gal. 5:13-26

It is estimated that the Apostle Paul traveled about 12000 miles on his missionary travels – and a lot of that was walking! For Paul, walking wasn’t something he did to get his heart rate up, or lose a few pounds, or get outside for some fresh air. He walked to get places. He walked to accomplish his mission in life – to preach the gospel to unreached peoples in far off lands.
So it’s not surprising that one of his favorite words to describe how we live is the word walk. Life is more than an event, or a series of events, it’s a journey. From the moment we are born, we are all going somewhere, and we are going there by a certain path, and at points in our lives we may change where we’re going, and the paths we taking, but where we choose to go, and the paths we choose to go there, and the things that happen to us while we travel, and the consequences of the destination and the paths we choose – all that rolled up is the journey we call life.

So when Paul says, walk by the Spirit, he’s telling us how we should live as believers and followers of Jesus Christ. It tells us that as we journey through life, the Spirit is to be a part of our lives all the time. Where the rubber of our shoes hits the road.

Walking is an action, and walking in the Spirit accents our actions empowered by His action. Paul commands us to walk by the Spirit in Galatians 5 – action. But even with walking by the Spirit we don’t begin with an imperative – a command about what we are to do – we begin with an indicative – a declaration of what God has done for us. Turn with me to Romans 8 and let’s take a couple minutes laying an important foundation to our understanding of what it means to walk by the Spirit.

1. There is a sense in which every Christian walks by the Spirit before we even take one step (Rom 8:1-8)

This could easily be an entire message, but let me sum up what Paul is saying: The Christian life is condemnation free – because the law of the Spirit of life (Holy Spirit) has set us free from the law of sin and death. Law here doesn’t mean the Mosaic law but a power or principle at work in us. Once the power/principle at work in us was sin and death. But when we came to Christ in faith, the Spirit entered us and overcame the power of sin and death with the power of life.

And that power of life at work in us isn’t based on our actions but on God’s actions! Look at verse 3 again: For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,3 he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

This “walking not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” isn’t because of what we do but because of what God has done for us in Christ. This walking by the Spirit isn’t just true of some believers but of all believers. Let’s read vv. 9-11

Notice two things: first, anyone who is a Christian is not in the flesh but in the Spirit (vs. 9). If the Spirit dwells in you then you’re not in the flesh, you’re in the Spirit. And if the Spirit doesn’t dwell in you than you don’t belong to Christ. So there is a sense in which every Christian walks, not according to the flesh, but the Spirit.

Secondly, notice that there isn’t an imperative in all these verses. Paul doesn’t ever tell us do this or do that. Unlike Gal 5 where we are commanded to walk by the Spirit, there is no such command here. When a person comes to Christ in faith, the Spirit exchanges the dominating principle at work from death and sin to life and holiness. He gives us a new heart, a heart of flesh not stone, a desire to obey and love God. All that is done in us by the Spirit at conversion and it’s not based on what we have done or will do, but on what God has done for us in Christ. As Christians we are walking in the Spirit before we even take a step – which doesn’t exempt us from the command to walk by the Spirit, it positions us to be able to obey the command. When Paul commands us to walk by the Spirit, he’s telling us to be what we already are! So there are two primary actions that walking in the Spirit will lead us in.

2. Walking in the Spirit will lead us to a life of killing (the flesh) (Gal 5)

Go back to Gal 5: 16 – But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other (war)…24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

When Paul talks about walking in the Spirit, he almost always contrasts it with walking in the flesh. The Greek word for flesh is sarx and in Paul’s framework it means more than just our physical bodies. Some translations have tried to capture this bigger meaning by using the term sinful nature. In essence it is the physical, mental, emotional, and volitional pull that every human being feels towards sin. It’s our corrupt and rotting nature that desires sin. Sins pull on us is like gravity that binds us to this earth, when temptation calls our flesh is pressed towards sin with a force that we cannot resist in our own strength. In the musical My Fair Lady Eliza’s morally questionable father, in a song called With a Little Bit of Luck, acknowledges this pull to sin when we face temptation and gives advice for how we should handle it:

The Lord above made liquor for temptation, to see if man could turn away from sin. The Lord above made liquor for temptation-but with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck, when temptation comes you'll give right in!

Obviously not the best theology or the best advice, but Alfred is recognizing one very biblical truth: that our flesh doesn’t really want to fight temptation, it wants desperately to give right in! The works of the flesh are diverse – Paul mentions four categories: sexual immorality (fornication, impurity, sensuality, orgies, and the like), religious deviances (idolatry and sorcery), relational breakdowns (fits of anger, rivalries, envy, divisions and such), and indulgences such as drunkenness –(and this list isn’t exhaustive). There’s a temptation – a hook – to catch all of us. What tempts someone else may not tempt you and vice versa, but there’s a hook, a sinful desire, that will catch each of us by our flesh. And ultimately and inevitably there is only one destination that the flesh leads us to, and that is death.

To set the mind on the flesh is death - Rom 8:6 / If you live according to the flesh you will die.- Rom 8:13

The multi-millionaire newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst forbid anyone to mention the subject “death” in his presence. At the age of 75, when age forced him to turn over the control of his 200 million dollar empire, the reason given was simply, “Mr. Hearst has become conscious of the uncertainties of life.”

Actually Mr. Hearst had become conscious of the certainties of life – he was going to die. Whether anyone mentioned it in his presence or not, death was going to come into his presence and claim him and it did in 1951. The flesh may lead down different paths for different people but this much is certain: it always and inevitably leads to spiritual death. It can have no other conclusion. So to walk by the flesh is to walk towards death.

But when we came to Jesus Christ and receives him as Lord and Savior, we were set on a new path – a path that leads to life. Saved from death, saved from God’s wrath, saved from hell and saved from the life-dominating power of the flesh, we were cleansed, forgiven, adopted, and reconciled to God through Christ and a new principle (power) was placed within us – the principle of life, the law of the Spirit of life and it has set us free from the law (principle) of sin and death. The Holy Spirit broke the death grip of the flesh that pulled us inevitably towards sin and death and gave us power to soar to spiritual life, not only in our eternal destination, but also in a progressive way in our daily experience.

But it’s a constant fight – the Spirit wars against the desires of the flesh and the flesh wars against the desires of the Spirit. So daily we need to be killing the flesh by the power of the Spirit. Galatians 5: 24 says, Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Romans 8:13 says, if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body (flesh) you will live.

We all had life-dominating sins. Some of those were broken the moment we came to Christ. Others linger – we need to fight them, put them to death. The Holy Spirit within us enables us to kill them, but it takes action on our part to turn from them, kill the fleshly pull towards them, and obey God. And that’s the second component of walking by the Spirit: killing the flesh and obeying God.

3. Walking by the Spirit gives us power to obey God

The Spirit-filled life isn’t just putting sin to death, it leads us to a life of forward thrust in God. The Spirit brings life and purpose to us – calling us and empowering us as instruments in the hands of the Lord to bring glory to God through our lives and efforts by empowering us to obey the Lord. Let’s consider three aspects of the forward thrust of walking in the Spirit:

a. Walking in the Spirit isn’t about living on some higher mystical plane, it’s about living a pure and upright life

Walking in the Spirit isn’t going to make us look mystical, it’s going to make us look obedient.

And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. Ezek 36:27

The Spirit causes us to walk in God’s statutes and obey His rules. Paul is very clear: the works of the flesh are all these things like sexual immorality and adultery and jealousy and anger and divisiveness and such – don’t do them! Walk by the Spirit and He will empower you to put that stuff to death which means, really simply, you stop doing them.

So if you’re involved in some sexual sin, it doesn’t mean redefining spirituality to be some mystical plane of walking with God so that you can keep on sinning and feel ok about it. It’s stopping the sexual sin. Living a pure and upright life is what the Holy Spirit is after, not leading you into some mystical experience!

Paul writes to the Ephesians in chapter 4 and tells them that they must no longer walk as the Gentiles (or the unregenerate) walk, but to put off the old self and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. God has changed us by the Holy Spirit so we shouldn’t live like we used to.

And then Paul gets real practical: if you used to lie, stop and start telling the truth. If you have an anger problem, deal with that anger in a godly way and don’t let the sun go down on it (don’t let it fester and infect and the devil to get an opening in your life). If stealing is your problem, stop it and start doing honest work. Very practical. Put away bitterness, anger, slander, and put on kindness, tenderness, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you. And in the midst of all this practical instruction: and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Listen, if your spirituality isn’t practical, it probably isn’t spiritual! God isn’t interested in a lot of mystical hocus pocus, He calls us to live a pure and upright life to the glory of God.

There is no substitute for growing in holiness and obedience to the Lord: let’s say you’re working with people who aren’t Christians. If you are a man or woman of integrity and you make a mistake or blow it and own up to it, people will forgive and maybe even respect you more for being honest. But if your character isn’t generally upright, if your pattern is to be a gossip, or lazy, or improper with the opposite sex, or dishonest, it will kill your witness and your credibility no matter how well you explain the gospel and forgiveness of Christ.

b. Walking in the Spirit is the sum total of a lot of little steps taken in obedience to the Holy Spirit.

It’s been said that a person’s character is the sum total of a lot of little choices. In other words, we get to the destination one small step at a time. That’s how it is with walking in the Spirit. Most of our daily lives aren’t going to be a matter of taking huge steps of faith and obedience but a matter of taking small steps of faith and obedience. That strengthens our walk for those occasional big steps the Lord calls us to, but when we come to the end of our lives, we’ll find that walking by the Spirit was largely a lot of smaller steps and a few larger steps.
So many of the Spirit- empowered things we do – sowing to the Spirit, walking by the Spirit, being filled with the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, are done on normal days by little steps of obedience. And a big part of that obedience is loving and serving one another.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Recently I heard of a need at STPRC and it stayed with me for weeks. After praying about it and talking to Janice, I decided to offer my time to serve in that capacity. I think it was the Lord answering a cry in my heart to find ways to connect with our community and particular needs in the community and that’s an effective ministry to a particular need. Nothing earth-shattering, no signs in the sky, but I believe it was the prompting of the Spirit and I sought to obey that prompting. It was a small step of obedience.

But here’s why small steps are so important: those small steps not only lead to larger steps, they also change the trajectory of our path and even the path we take. When you step out in obedience to the Spirit’s leading, everything changes in a dozen ways that you’re not even aware of. Might interact with people you wouldn’t have interacted with otherwise. You might have an opening to minister to someone you wouldn’t have had otherwise. It is what Paul calls sowing to the Spirit and it reaps an entirely different harvest than NOT sowing to the Spirit reaps.

I believe there are people here who are sensing the Lord nudging them in a direction of ministry. Some way of getting involved and serving the Lord. If that’s you and you’ve prayed about that nudge and it’s staying with you, act on it! If it’s not the Lord, He will redirect you as you’re moving forward. But listen: it’s easier to ignore that prompting, because there’s nothing easier than saying “no”. All it takes to say “no” is to do nothing, and make no change, and take no action. Saying “no” leaves you where you are – what could be easier than that? Saying “no” – just ignoring that prompting - leaves your schedule the way it is – what could be easier than that? It leaves your habits the way they are. Saying “no” (or just ignoring) keeps you in your comfort zone – what could be easier than that? Nothing changes. That’s the seductive power of saying “no” to the nudging of the Lord. But oh, as we say yes. As we step out in faith, it changes the trajectory of our lives in so many ways – many ways we can’t even see.

By all means, pray. Seek other perspective. But serve the Lord, serve others, and step out of your comfort zone – because it’s there the Spirit of God will meet you and use you and grow you. Maybe it’s just a small step – probably will be – but those small steps can change the entire trajectory of your life.

Life is a journey, and every choice changes the trajectory of that journey in some way. God isn’t concerned with us finding that “specific path” that God has for us as much as He is concerned with our following Him. Following Jesus, being led by the Spirit, walking by the Spirit. And as we do, the Lord will lead us where we’re meant to go/be. And if we get off a little, He will guide us back again.

Conclusion:

It starts by repenting of any sin that the Spirit is convicting us of. Repentance means that we turn away from it, we change our minds, we go in a different direction. Away for the flesh’s direction and toward the Spirit’s direction. Clean house.
• Looking at porn or engaging in a relationship that is improper: stop
• If you are struggling with anger, admit it, and get some accountability to help you to stop. Put off anger, don’t act like it’s everyone else’s fault for getting you angry.
• Or maybe there is some act of service or ministry the Lord has been prompting your heart to do. Do it! Just take a step of faith and obedience and do it.

Trust and Obey (hymn)

When we walk with the Lord
in the light of his word,
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
he abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2. Not a burden we bear,
not a sorrow we share,
but our toil he doth richly repay;
not a grief or a loss,
not a frown or a cross,
but is blest if we trust and obey.
(Refrain)

3. But we never can prove
the delights of his love
until all on the altar we lay;
for the favor he shows,
for the joy he bestows,
are for them who will trust and obey.
(Refrain)

4. Then in fellowship sweet
we will sit at his feet,
or we'll walk by his side in the way;
what he says we will do,
where he sends we will go;
never fear, only trust and obey.
(Refrain)